Long Lake Accessible Campsite (Black River Wild Forest)

FREE primitive camping in Black River Wild Forest, part of New York's Adirondack Forest Preserve (DEC Region 6, the North Lake / South Lake / Old Forge country of Herkimer County in the southwestern Adirondacks). This is a DEC-designated primitive tent site ('Long Lake Accessible Campsite', on Long Lake), and New York provides it at NO CHARGE: the DEC page lists the fee as 'Free' and the unit is open year-round. WATER ACCESS: reach this one by boat or paddle on Long Lake (~5 ft from the shore); the nearest road is Long Lake Road (about 0.28 mi off). Note: DEC lists this as an ACCESSIBLE (ADA) tent site that is WATER ACCESS ONLY -- you reach it by boat or paddle on Long Lake, not by car; the nearest road is about a quarter-mile away, so the accessible facilities are at a water-access site. Confirm the accessible launch/route with the Herkimer office before relying on it. This is interior Adirondack Forest Preserve, not a developed campground -- there is no campground office, fee booth or hookups; do not confuse it with the nearby PAID Nicks Lake Campground (which charges a fee and offers amenities) or any other developed campground. SEASON: DEC lists the unit as open year-round, but the interior gates (Loop Road / North Lake Road, Mill Creek Road, Wolf Lake Landing Road) CLOSE for the winter season -- as of the DEC backcountry report read 2026-07-24 they were open for the season -- so DRIVE-UP access is NOT year-round; confirm road/gate status with the Herkimer office before a late-fall, winter or early-spring trip. RULES: this is a designated, first-come first-served free site -- no reservation and no fee. Standard Adirondack Forest Preserve rules apply: camp only at the designated site, and a free Forest Ranger permit is required only if you stay more than 3 nights or camp with a group of 10 or more (arrange it through the DEC Region 6 Herkimer Office at 315-866-6330 (Forest Rangers via 911 or DEC dispatch)). DEC prints no other night limit for these sites, so plan around that statewide 3-night default and confirm on site. This is a primitive site: expect at most a fire ring -- no hookups, no showers and no potable water, so bring water or treat what you take from the lake or river. Pack out all trash, follow Leave No Trace and the DEC fire rules, and store food from bears (this is black-bear country). Confirm current rules and this site's status on the DEC page (dec.ny.gov/places/black-river-wild-forest) or with the Herkimer office (315-866-6330) before you go; we have not visited.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

• RestroomSouth-East Casemate · ~28.1 mi SW · NPS
• RestroomEast Casemate, North Building · ~28.1 mi SW · NPS
• RestroomNorth Casemate · ~28.1 mi SW · NPS
• RestroomStorehouse, Visitors Restrooms · ~28.1 mi SW · NPS

Open this spot elsewhere

Other camps nearby

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

• Administrative Road Campsite (Black River Wild Forest)~9.5 mi
• Middle Settlement Lake Designated Campsite [DEC #18825] (Ha-De-Ron-Dah Wilderness)~9.6 mi
• Primitive Tent Site (Independence River Wild Forest)~10.5 mi
• North Lake Designated Campsite #3 (Black River Wild Forest)~10.7 mi

How we know this

What we don’t know

A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.

• Road surface & last-mile access
• How many rigs actually fit
• Cell coverage by carrier
• Seasonal & winter access
• Current fire restrictions
• Whether any water here is drinkable
• Shade & wind exposure
• Noise and who else shows up

Before you go